The alarm rang at 6:30 a.m. across Kamloops, but this year it carried a different energy. After last year’s touching journey to Peter’s U-pick orchard—where we discovered the beauty in scarcity and the sweetness that comes from struggle—we were ready to return with hearts full of gratitude and anticipation.
What a difference a year makes! This time, we had our experienced cherry pickers from last year: Vitaliy, Sasha, and Mama, whose wisdom from previous seasons would guide us well. Our hearts soared knowing that Juliana would join us, along with Nina and Joshua, who transform their field learning into new experiences, turning this into a truly special multi-generational field trip. And with Oksana and Ihor’s support for Mama and me, we felt like a complete family ready for adventure.
Two full cars departed Kamloops around 8:00 a.m., our convoy carrying not just people but shared memories and new hopes. The drive to Vernon buzzed with excited chatter about what we might find this year, especially after last year’s lesson in finding beauty amid challenges.
As we arrived at Peter’s orchard, we could hardly believe our eyes. Where last year we had searched carefully for precious sour cherries on sparse trees, this year presented us with nature’s incredible recovery. The abundance was breathtaking—trees heavy with fruit, branches practically bowing under the weight of both sweet and sour cherries. Even after a full week since the orchard opened for u-pick, every tree remained generously laden with fruit.
“It’s like vines of grapes,” someone exclaimed, “but they’re vines of cherries!” The comparison was perfect—everywhere we looked, clusters of delicious cherries hung ready for picking, creating a landscape that seemed almost too generous to be real.
Our experienced team moved with purpose through the orchard, but also with reverence for this incredible transformation. The abundance meant we could be selective, choosing only the most perfect cherries, but it also meant we could simply enjoy the experience without the careful hunting that had characterized last year’s adventure.
As we filled basket after basket with both sweet and sour varieties, we couldn’t help but reflect on the journey from last year’s “Sweet-Tart Adventure” to this year’s embarrassment of riches. The orchard that had taught us about resilience and finding joy in scarcity was now teaching us about gratitude and the incredible capacity for renewal.
The Ukrainian spirit that had touched us so deeply last year was still present, but now it felt celebratory rather than quietly resilient. Our conversations flowed between languages as we picked, but the universal language of shared joy and abundance needed no translation.
We left Peter’s orchard with more than just pounds of perfect cherries—we carried with us a profound appreciation for the cycles of abundance and scarcity, the importance of community in both challenging and joyful times, and the deep satisfaction that comes from participating in traditions that connect us to the earth and to each other.
On the drive back to Kamloops, our cars heavy with fruit and our hearts full of gratitude, we were already planning how to preserve and share this incredible harvest. But more than that, we were marveling at how this simple annual tradition had become a beautiful thread weaving together our stories, our learnings, and our appreciation for life’s sweet surprises.
From last year’s careful search for hidden treasures to this year’s overwhelming abundance, Peter’s orchard continues to be a place where memories are made, bonds are strengthened, and the simple act of picking cherries becomes a celebration of community, resilience, and the incredible generosity of nature.
Here’s to the sweetness that comes after the tart, and to the friends who make every adventure—whether abundant or scarce—absolutely delicious.
Check last year story: A Sweet-Tart Adventure
